


The One Where Sam and Charlie Meddle

by LadyPetunia



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean Loves Cas, Destiel - Freeform, Hidden Feelings, Longing, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-09-23 14:02:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9660404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyPetunia/pseuds/LadyPetunia
Summary: Cas has been gone for a week and Dean is missing him. Not that Dean will admit to missing him, of course. Instead he's having tantrums and Sam and Charlie, who lives with the boys in the bunker, are fed up with listening to him complain about everything. So they come up with a plan to fix Dean's hidden love for Cas once and for all.





	1. Chapter 1

“Dammit, Sammy!” yelled Dean, slamming the bunker door behind him “How many damn times have I told you not to dump your empty smoothie bottles on the back seat?” Dean flung the rag he’d used to mop up the leather of the Impala’s back seat under the sink and stomped over to the fridge for a beer. From the library, Dean could hear laughter which pissed him off even more. Clutching his beer like it was his life jacket, he marched down the corridor, determined to find out what the hell was so funny.

Dean rounded the corner and saw Sam and Charlie curled up together on the sofa laughing hysterically at a Monty Python movie on the TV. If they’d heard Dean’s banging about, they didn’t let on and they didn’t even react to him entering the room. He dropped himself ungracefully onto the other sofa and glared at his brother and sister-from-another-mister as she referred to herself. They carried on laughing and ignoring Dean, so he cleared his throat loudly. Sam sighed heavily, paused the movie and both of them looked at Dean expectantly. Now he had their attention, and their slightly condescending expressions, Dean felt the anger disappear, leaving him slightly disoriented.

“Why don’t you just pray?” asked Charlie, earning her a thump on the arm from Sam. Dean glared at her, his anger renewed.

“What? What are you on about?” Charlie looked at Sam who gave her a warning look but she patted her hand on his thigh to reassure him. Sam rolled his eyes, knowing this was not going to end well but also knowing there was no stopping his adopted little sister once she’d made her mind up. He sat back in his seat to watch the fireworks.

“You’ve been banging around the bunker like a bear with a sore head for days now, Dean. Frankly, it’s getting annoying and we’re tired of having to listen to your tantrums. Just pray to Cas and ask him to come home for a bit. He will, you know. If you ask him.” Sam watched in amusement as Dean’s expression changed from anger to confusion to embarrassment and back to anger, almost as if Dean didn’t know exactly what to feel. Sam thought that’s exactly what was happening to his emotionally stunted older brother and forced himself not to smile. He didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Dean’s wrath and knew he’d go easier on Charlie.

“Why… what’s CAS got to do with anything?!” Dean spluttered eventually. “Sasquatch over there got his nasty green crap all over Baby’s back seats. That’s why I’m pissed.” Charlie smirked and shook her head.

“And yesterday? When you nearly ran that guy over because he wasn’t moving fast enough on the crosswalk? Or when you smashed the glass in the kitchen because we’d run out of that juice you like? Or when you threw that book across the room because you couldn’t find the right piece of lore.Or…” Dean’s withering glare cut her off. She bit her lower lip to kill her smile because she knew she’d hit the nail on the head, even if Dean was too stupid and stubborn to recognise it himself. She watched in amusement as Dean floundered for something to say before abruptly standing up and storming out of the room. Sam let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and playfully swatted Charlie again.

“Poke the bear, why don’t you?” he chuckled, as they settled themselves back down to watch the rest of their movie. Charlie threw a piece of popcorn at Sam and grinned. She had a plan forming in her mind. She just needed to get Sam on board, figure out the details and hopefully kill this foul mood of Dean’s before he broke everything they owned.

Flinging himself onto his bed like a dramatic teenage girl didn’t make Dean feel any better. Charlie didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. And Sam, sitting there beside her, doing nothing to defend his brother. See if he bothered to come to the rescue the next time Sammy needed him. It’s ridiculous to think that he’s been in a bad mood for days. Yeah, so he broke the glass and threw the book. Hunting is hard work and everyone gets stressed occasionally. It was nothing to do with Cas. Certainly nothing to do with the fact Cas had been gone for almost a week without any contact. Dean pictured intense blue eyes with that familiar steely gaze and felt his heart thump in his chest. He felt a twitching in his underwear and realised he was probably horny. That’s why he’s been in a bad mood, it’s so obvious! It’s been ages since he got laid. He shook his head vigorously to remove the image of the angel. Ridiculous, that’s what it was. His mood was nothing to do with Cas being gone. Dean reached under the bed for one of his trusty magazines, ignoring the tiny but insistent voice in the back of his brain that said the blood started rushing to his groin when he pictured Cas’ face in his imagination. He determinedly unbuttoned his jeans and caressed his growing length through his underwear, focusing on the pictures in front of him and pushing all thoughts of a lean, dark-haired man in a ratty trenchcoat out of his head. Or trying to, anyway. As he reached his climax, Cas’ face popped into his head unbidden and Dean came hard into his hand, throwing the magazine aside and shoving his other fist into his mouth to stifle the moans. Cleaning himself up with the conveniently placed box of tissues, that tiny voice mentioned that this is far from the only time he’s come into his hand with Cas’ image in his imagination, and those orgasms are the ones that hit him like a steam train. Dean swats the voice down like a mosquito, too terrified of the implications to even acknowledge it. He closes his eyes and drifts off into a dream that he will never admit heavily features sparkling blue eyes and a pair of ebony wings.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlie shares her idea with Sam once the movie is finished and they’re cooking dinner in the bunker kitchen. Sam starts off thinking she’s crazy, but she slowly persuades him that they can make it work. After all, they can’t make things any worse than they already are. Dean’s making everyone miserable with his stormy moods and when Cas is around, the crackling tension between the two of them makes everyone uncomfortable. They just need to find a case, or create a case, and Operation Destiel is on. Charlie grinned as she served up the tacos and salad they’d made, and Sam yelled for Dean to come for dinner. Dean stumbled into the kitchen, having clearly just woken up, all bed hair and blurry eyes. He took the seat next to Charlie and helped himself to the food, seamlessly catching the can of beer Sam threw across the room to him.

“How did you sleep?” Charlie asked as Dean shoved a huge bite of food in his mouth. He mumbled something unintelligible as he nodded his head. Charlie assumed that meant he slept well and winked at Sam. Sam groaned inwardly. He’d agreed, tentatively, to Charlie’s plan, but he was still not sure it was a good idea. “Sam and I have been trying to find a case for us to hit.” Charlie continued. “Nothing major, we just all need to get out of here for a bit.” Dean nodded again as he took another enormous bite.

“We think we’ve found a ghost a couple of hours out. You in?” Sam tried to keep casual, knowing that he wasn’t great at lying to his brother. Dean had practically raised him, after all, and knew his tells better than anyone. It’s why Sam refused to play poker with him. Thankfully, Sam had chosen his moment right, and Dean was more interested in the spicy taco he was shovelling in his mouth than watching Sam for signs of lying, so Sam was relieved when Dean gave a thumbs up. He bit into his own food with far more decorum than his brother, and tried not to grin as Charlie winked at him. Stage 1 done. Easy as pie. If only the rest of Charlie’s crazy plan was so simple…

After dinner Sam and Charlie invited Dean to join them in the library to watch the rest of the Monty Python films, but Dean declined, muttering about the crap they watch, and retired to his room. Exactly as they’d expected and planned. Once they were sure Dean was in his room and done for the night, checked by Charlie listening through his door for his snores, the pair began pulling together the necessary parts of their plan. Sam grinned as Charlie checked over the plan again, and mentally thanked all the deities that she was an honourary Winchester. He loved the feisty redhead as much as he loved his gruff older brother and couldn’t believe his luck that all his childhood wishes for a baby sister had come true. Not in the way 6 year old Sam had expected, of course, but that doesn’t really matter to Sam. He draped one arm around Charlie’s shoulders and dropped an affectionate kiss on top of her head. She leaned into him slightly, returning the affection, while still muttering to herself about her plans. He watched as she packed everything for their “ghost hunt” in her backpack and loaded up Sam’s bag with snacks and drinks. Sam started to feel slightly sorry for his brother as he watched Charlie’s bags fill with things she deemed necessary for their fake hunt. Then he remembered the way the book had whistled past his head two days previously during Dean’s tantrum, and suddenly felt that Charlie’s plan was entirely necessary after all. For all their sakes.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean’s breath hitched as soft hands stroked his sides, slowly moving downwards across his hips but avoiding his straining cock, down his legs and back up again with feather-light touches. Gentle lips joined the soft touches dropping tiny kisses all along Dean’s chest as the hands explored, getting tantalisingly closer to his heated length but never close enough to actually touch. Dean made a mewling noise in his throat, so different from the gruffness of his usual voice, and the person attached to the lips and hands chuckled at Dean’s neediness. A small pointed tongue darted across Dean’s sensitive nipple, making him arch his back as it sent a shock straight into his groin. Dean’s nipples had always been particularly sensitive, but the determined tongue was joined by the gentle scratch of stubble and the sensations were driving Dean crazy. Crazy enough that he didn’t connect the idea of the stubble with the notion that his partner was a man. He was so wrapped up in the pleasure of the tiny touches and licks that he couldn’t string together a coherent thought if his life depended on it. The lips ghosted down his stomach, following the trail of hair from Dean’s navel and warm breath touched the sensitive head of his throbbing cock. Before Dean could gasp a breath, he was swallowed up into the warmth of a suckling mouth, hitting all the right spots. Dean reached down and grabbed a handful of the soft hair and opened his eyes enough to see the familiar messy dark locks and enchanting blue eyes staring up at him. Dean threw back his head and groaned and then

“DEAN!!” Sam yelled, banging on the bedroom door “We need to leave in twenty, get your ass moving!” Dean snapped awake, one hand fisted in his own hair, the other wrapped tightly around his rock hard cock. Too aroused to think straight much less recognise that he was dreaming of his angel giving him head, Dean finished himself off within seconds with a deep, guttural groan, spilling into his hand and onto his stomach. He staggered off the bed and into the shower, barely opening his eyes as he did so. As the hot spray hit him and he started to regain the power of thought, his knees buckled as he remembered staring into Cas’ eyes while Cas swallowed his cock down. He remembered groaning in pleasure as Cas licked and kissed and stroked him, and a heat that had nothing to do with the scorching shower and everything to do with his own embarrassment spread through his body. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t the third time this week he’d woken with the same dream, or a variation of it, spinning in his head. He scrubbed himself harder than was necessary, as if he could scrub off the feeling of shame, and quickly rinsed off. He dried and dressed, trying to keep his mind on the upcoming hunt instead of the feel of the angel’s tongue on his most intimate areas. He headed to the kitchen, where Sam was finishing a bowl of cereal and Charlie handed him a stack of pancakes and a mug of coffee.

“Marry me” he quipped, kissing her forehead. She grinned at him as he sat down opposite Sam. “Are we all ready?” he asked, shovelling pancakes into his mouth with his usual inelegance. Sam grimaced and pushed away his bowl.

“Everything packed and ready by the door. I just need to change quickly” Charlie indicated the pancake batter she’d spilt on her t-shirt as she headed towards her room. It still made Dean smile to think of it as Charlie’s room. Both Winchesters had been so happy when Charlie agreed to move in with them at the bunker. It was only supposed to be temporary while she healed from the Stynes' attack on her- neither of the men could think of the image of her unconscious in the bathtub covered in blood without tasting bile at the back of their throats- but they soon fell into an easy routine and they asked her to stay permanently. Sam taught her all he knew about hunter lore and Dean taught her how to fight and use weapons. She was almost as good a shot as either of the boys now, and they were happy to take her on hunts knowing she could easily hold her own. For her part, Charlie loved being part of a family. It may not be a traditional family, but they were her boys and she adored them.For the first time in a long, long time, she had a home and people to rely on and it allowed her to finally grieve properly for everything she’d lost, without looking over her shoulder and maintaining her aliases. Those first two months were tough for that reason, as all the pain and sadness Charlie had never allowed herself to feel found its way out. Dean and Sam looked after her in their own ways. Dean found himself adopting the same protective big brother role he’d always had for Sam, but it surprised him how well Sam also adopted the role. When Charlie had nightmares, he’d often get to her door after hearing her cry out, only to find Sam had beaten him there and was cradling her in his arms and rocking her back to sleep, just like Dean used to do for him. After a while, the nightmares became Sam’s role, although they were much less frequent now. Dean was the mother hen, making sure Charlie was fed and clothed, that she had all the essentials she needed and little luxuries too. He put on a front and grumbled but they all knew he secretly loved providing for Charlie and Sam, and he took pride in his role as protector and provider. The mornings after she had nightmares, Dean would silently take Charlie’s hand after breakfast and lead her outside to the woods, where he’d put a pistol in her hand and let her shoot cans. The first dozen times were in silence, with just Dean’s quiet instruction, but after a while Charlie began to open up and tell Dean about the nightmares. One morning, after a particularly awful night, Charlie went to their usual spot, her hand clasped warmly and tightly in Dean’s, and saw he’d created the monsters from her dreams out of cardboard and wood for her to shoot at. She cried happy tears and kissed Dean, who blushed bashfully, before slaying the monsters herself. Dean knew that she didn’t need rescuing, she needed the tools to allow her to rescue herself, and that’s exactly what he gave her. After that day, the nightmares decreased dramatically in frequency and, although they were happy she was on the mend, both men found they missed how much Charlie needed them. She seemed to pick up on that and so made an effort to spend quality time with each of them. They now couldn’t have been closer if they really were siblings.

Charlie returned to the kitchen wearing a blue fitted t-shirt with a TARDIS printed on the front that Dean had bought her the week before. Since living in the bunker, Dean had discovered the joys of online shopping and loved nothing more than to spoil his family with little gifts. Dean was loading the dishwasher as she entered, and she playfully slapped his rear as he bent over. Quick as a flash, Dean spun around and grabbed her, pinning her hands behind her back and tickling her until she sobbed for mercy. Sam watched the pair of them, loving how Charlie’s presence had brought out a lighter, happier side of Dean that he’d never been able to reach. He felt a pang of regret for the way Dean had been forced to grow up so fast and how he’d never been allowed that kind of sibling relationship with him, but a scream from Charlie snapped his attention back into the room as Dean threatened her with a dirty dishcloth.

“SAM! Make him stop!”

“Say you’re sorry, little girl! Say it!” Dean tried to sound menacing but the laughter behind his words was clear. He waved the dishcloth closer to her face as Charlie screeched again.

“Sammy, please make him stop! NOOOO!” the scream dissolved into laughter as Dean once again tickled Charlie. Sam stepped over and took the dishcloth from Dean’s hand and deposited it in the laundry basket.

“Grow up, the pair of you. Are we ganking this ghost or what?” he sighed as he left the kitchen. The giggles ceased and Sam heard both voices chant “Sorry MOM!” in unison, before they both erupted into fresh fits of laughter. Sam grinned as he walked away. The sound of Dean’s laughter had been all too rare in the years before Charlie moved in, and he didn’t care if he was the butt of their jokes if it was causing Dean to laugh like that. As he reached the door to the garage, he grabbed the bags and the Impala keys from the hook on the wall and loaded the trunk. By the time he was done, Dean and Charlie had joined him, Charlie with her arm linked through Dean’s. It took Dean a while to get used to Charlie’s need for frequent touching, but now he seemed to relish it, his obvious affection for the petite redhead written all over his face. They all took their usual positions in the car without needing any discussion- Dean driving, Sam shotgun and Charlie in the back. She automatically positioned herself directly behind Dean because she was so used to Cas either being with them or appearing during the drive. Dean’s smile vanished when he realised this, and a frosty silence fell on the car. 

Four hours later, after Charlie needed to stop five times to pee, take photos of pretty landscapes or buy snacks, they reached their destination; an old house on the edge of a lake. It looked like a perfectly normal vacation cottage with a beautiful view across the lake and a sense of serenity. A porch wrapped around the outside of the cottage with space for a couple of inviting looking sofas. A small dock held a fishing boat and there was not a soul for miles around.

“Dude, are you sure this is it?” asked Dean, dubiously. Sam studied the notes on his lap, even though he knew full well this was the right place.

“Yeah, Dean. It says there have been countless vacationers terrified by the stuff that happens here and the owners have basically abandoned it.” Sam wished it looked a little more abandoned and less inviting so their story would be believable. Dean looked at Sam and shrugged, turning the sleek black motor onto the driveway. He parked up and the three exited the car, making their way to the trunk for their supplies. Dean lifted out a custom made shotgun he’d bought Charlie and tossed it to her, along with some rock salt rounds. She avoided his gaze, which he attributed to nerves. It was her first ghost hunt, after all. The trio headed into the building, with Dean heading upstairs, Charlie on the ground floor and Sam heading to the basement. Dean crept along the corridor, hearing the creak of floorboards downstairs as the others searched their areas. The house was surprisingly small, with one bedroom taking up most of the upstairs with a large en suite bathroom. Dean stepped inside the bathroom and whistled quietly to himself. It was definitely an expensive bathroom, so the owners must have money. Not for the first time in his life, he wondered if he and Sam could make legitimate money hunting. After all, these people were desperate, and they are basically exterminators, right? Dean’s thoughts turned from going legit to the problem in hand when he heard Charlie scream from downstairs. He turned on his heel and ran.

“SAMMY!” he hollered as he ran, but he needn’t have bothered because his brother had had the same reaction to Charlie’s scream and beat Dean to her side. Charlie was on the floor panting heavily.

“Looks like some form of poltergeist” she said, standing up and brushing herself off. “It flew at me and then disappeared through the wall when I ducked.” Both brothers scanned her for injuries and were relieved to see none. Sam’s face lit up suddenly.

“Hey! This is the perfect chance to try out that potion I found in the bunker library.” Charlie nodded and grinned.

“Awesome- let’s play evil scientists!” she laughed. Dean looked between them, confused, and then they both simultaneously remembered he had no clue what they were talking about. “Sam found this book of potions in the library, which has different recipes for trapping creatures. It’s a mix of science and magic and they seem awesome. It’ll be great, you’ll see!” Dean knew that he was no match for the enthusiasm of the pair of them but he tried anyway.

“No way. Let’s do it the old fashioned way and then get the hell out of here.” Poltergeists were Dean’s least favourite problem to deal with. The didn’t satisfy him the way a vampire or werewolf did. Sam and Charlie exchanged a look and then both turned to Dean.

“Dude, this potion, it’s really cool. It makes the person who drinks it a weapon against poltergeists for an hour, so they can just think about obliterating it and poof, it’s gone.” Sam looked pleadingly at Dean, and Dean knew full well he was going to end up saying yes. He never could say no to Sam when he really wanted something, so he sighed heavily.

“Fine. We’ll do your potion. But I want nothing to do with it.” Dean saw the grin on both of their faces and then stopped. “Wait. Did you say someone becomes a weapon? That they can gank the thing with their mind?” Charlie nodded. Dean didn’t notice she’d crossed her fingers behind her back but Sam did and bit back a smirk. Dean was so predictable. “If I’m letting you do this, I get to drink the potion. I want the Jedi mind powers.” Sam and Charlie both started protesting but Dean shook his head. “That’s the deal, guys. Otherwise I use the traditional hunter stuff on it and we go home.” 

“Fine” huffed Sam, “I’ll get the bag from the car.” Sam and Charlie left the house while Dean headed back upstairs. He was so focused on finding the poltergeist that he didn’t notice the high five from the pair of the as they walked out the door. 

An hour later, Dean was pacing about the house impatiently while Sam and Charlie measured and weighed and mixed the ingredients for the potion. He walked back into the kitchen as Charlie dramatically added something small and green to the vile looking liquid in the saucepan.

“You done?” he asked, bile rising in his throat at the sight and smell of the potion. Charlie nodded, biting her lower lip. 

“I think so. We followed the instructions exactly, so this should work.” Sam carefully measured out the correct dose of the liquid into a mug and handed it to Dean.

“And I just need to down it?” Dean asked, dubiously. Both Sam and Charlie nodded this time, wide eyed with anticipation. Dean looked between them, back at the mug and sighed heavily.

“Here goes nothing” he muttered and drank the whole potion in one swallow. It tasted even worse than he expected and he gagged. Charlie quickly produced a glass of water and Sam fished in his pocket for some gum. Dean accepted both gratefully as his stomach rolled. “What the hell was in that crap?!” As Sam opened his mouth to answer, Dean had second thoughts. “Actually, I don’t want to know.” He sat down heavily in a kitchen chair. “Now what?”

“Now we wait.” Sam said. “It takes 15 minutes to take effect so we’ll start setting up the stuff to attract the poltergeist.” Charlie was packing up the ingredients, but as she went to close the book she suddenly went pale.

“Shit” she whispered. Dean and Sam both turned to look at her.

“What do you mean “shit”?” asked Dean nervously. Sam had reached Charlie’s side and was looking at the page in the book Charlie was pointing at.

“Shit” he echoed, running a hand through his hair.

“What?!” yelled Dean, clenching his fists.

“We might have... well, we might have made a minor mistake.” said Charlie, rushing out the words. “The book is pretty old and some of the pages have stuck together....”

“What the hell did I drink?!” asked Dean, almost too scared to ask.

“It looks like... a kind of love potion.” gulped Sam, instinctively stepping slightly in front of Charlie, as if he expected Dean to lash out. Dean’s eyes widened in shock.

“A love potion? That’s not so bad. So I’ll just fall in love for a bit until it wears off, right?” Sam shook his head.

“Not quite. It reveals any hidden feelings you already have. It won’t make you fall in love, but it will make you confess stuff you’re hiding. But that’s OK, right? You don’t have any secrets?” Sam was really glad he couldn’t see Charlie’s face right now, because he knew they’d get the giggles and the gig would be up. Charlie was scanning the pages of the book.

“That’s not all.” Charlie added. “If you have any hidden emotions and you don’t express them within 6 hours, it’ll start turning your emotions around, so the things you do love will become things you hate. If that doesn’t reveal your truth, you’ll start losing your senses one by one until...” she broke off, not needing to go any further. They all knew what would happen if someone lost all five senses.

“But I don’t have any secret feelings, so I’m good, right?” said Dean, slightly manically. Sam read over Charlie’s shoulder. 

“Should be. If you don’t have any secrets, it’ll wear off in 12 hours and you’ll be fine.” He carried on packing the stuff into the bag. “Let’s get back to the bunker and we’ll see if we can find out anything else.” Dean grabbed his gun, all thoughts of the poltergeist forgotten.


	4. Chapter 4

The journey home was uneventful. They made it back in 3 hours, Charlie not needing to stop at all this time. Charlie sat shotgun this time with Sam in the back. Dean had the music so loud that there was no chance of conversation, but Sam and Charlie exchanged a couple of pointed looks which said everything they needed to. They both knew the plan was working so far. When they got back to the bunker, Dean didn’t speak to either of them, just headed towards his room.

“I’m going to make dinner, Dean.” Sam yelled after him. “And Charlie is making an apple pie as an apology.” Sam heard his brother grunt in acknowledgement before his door slammed shut. Sam started making the burgers while Charlie began working on the pie filling. She added the extra ingredient, giving Sam a sly smile as she did so. Sam grinned back, and pulled out his phone to call Cas. Cas answered on the third ring.

_“Hello Sam.”_

"Hey Cas. We have a bit of a situation with Dean and could use your help.” Cas appeared a second later behind Sam, phone still pressed to his ear. “What is the problem with Dean?” Cas asked, still into the phone. Charlie reached out and took the phone from him then gave him a hug.

“We missed you, Cas! Where have you been?”

“Never mind that. Where is Dean? What happened?” Sam and Charlie filled in Cas on the story of the potion, with Cas looking more and more confused as they went on. “So Dean has to confess his emotions or he’ll start to lose the things he loves?” Cas summarised.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Sam got up to turn the burgers and Charlie put the pie in the oven. Then she handed Cas cutlery and they set the table together in silence.

“You eating, Cas?” Sam asked. Cas nodded absently. He was considering their options as Dean wandered into the kitchen, his hair still damp from the shower. He blushed when he saw Cas, having just seen Cas’ face in his imagination doing very different activities while he was in the shower. They locked eyes across the room, only moving when Sam cleared his throat. Dean moved to his usual seat at the table and Cas sat across from him. Charlie sat down after depositing a large bowl of fries and a plate of onion rings on the table, and Sam brought their burgers. Dean took a swig of the beer Charlie had placed on the table for him.

“I guess they filled you in, Cas?” Cas nodded and took the bowl of fries from Charlie, shaking a handful onto his plate.

“I have never heard of such a spell before, but the Men of Letters were very inventive. How long since you drank the potion, Dean?” Dean checked his watch.

“Almost six hours. I feel fine, honestly. There are no hidden feelings for me to worry about.” Dean took a large bite of his burger and moaned appreciatively. The rest of the meal passed with Cas telling them all about his time away, which had involved searching for a lost angel but that he had been about to return to them when Sam called. When they had all finished the burgers, Charlie went to collect the pie. She checked her watch to make sure the six hours had passed before dishing up Dean a very large slice with ice cream. Carefully she placed slices of pie from a second pie in the fridge onto plates for herself, Sam and Cas, but made sure they each had a small spoonful of Dean’s special pie.

“Charlie, all is forgiven!” laughed Dean as Charlie placed his treat in front of him. He took a large spoonful and grimaced in horror before spitting it out. “What the HELL?!” The others stopped eating and looked at Dean in confusion. At least, Cas’ confusion was genuine. Sam and Charlie were acting their little socks off. “How can you eat this, it’s disgusting!”

“Dean, that’s rude!” Sam exclaimed, slapping his arm. He scooped up another spoonful of his own pie and ate it, clearly enjoying it.

“Let me try yours, Sammy” Dean leant across to grab some but Sam slapped him away. Huffing, Sam scooped up some of the pie- the tainted piece Charlie had carefully placed- and handed the spoon to Dean.

“It tastes fine to me, Dean.” said Sam as Dean spat out the pie again. Charlie gasped as he did so, as if she’d realised what was happening.

“Dean, it’s been six hours. What do you love?” Cas tilted his head as he made the connection.

“Perhaps you do have “hidden feelings” if the potion is working.” He said, making air quotes with his fingers. Dean had a fleeting thought about how adorable he found it when Cas did that, but it was quickly chased out of his head as he realised the implication of Charlie’s words.

“You mean... I hate _pie_?!” he squeaked. Charlie scooped up a large spoonful of her own pie and chewed on it, contemplating.

“It tastes great to me. Perfect balance of apple and cinnamon, the brown sugar crust on top is exactly right...” she cut off as Dean groaned. “Let me get you another beer and we’ll think about how to fix this.” She returned from the kitchen with a beer for Dean and a jug of iced lemon water for the rest of them. Dean took a huge gulp and then spat it out again.

“For fuck’s sake!” he yelled. “Beer too?!” Sam shovelled the rest of his pie into his mouth to keep from laughing as Dean stormed from the room, Cas following closely behind him. As Charlie went to get a cloth, she held up a hand for a high five. Stage 2 complete.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean threw himself onto his bed for the second time that day and cursed loudly into his pillow. Cas stood in the doorway watching him, with his usual confused expression. 

“Are you in or out?” Dean said, his pillow muffling his words. Cas said nothing and didn’t move. Dean rolled over and gave him a Sam-style bitchface. “Don’t hover in the doorway. In or out. Shut the door, whichever it is.” Then he rolled back over face down on the bed. Cas hesitated for a moment then stepped into the room. He closed the door gently behind him and then stood awkwardly, not really knowing what to do next. A few silent minutes passed before Dean heaved a sigh and sat up on the bed. He motioned for Cas to sit on the end of the bed, and Cas gingerly did so, as if he were afraid Dean would change his mind and shout at him. They heard Sam and Charlie laugh loudly from the living area, probably continuing their movie marathon. Cas looked at Dean and tilted his head again.

“Dean, are you... are you OK?” Dean laughed bitterly.

“OK? How can I be OK? Those two IDIOTS poisoned me and now I don’t like beer or pie! Pie, man! I love pie.” He shook his head in disbelief. Cas wasn’t sure what to say, so he settled for saying nothing. It was a few minutes before Dean spoke again.

“Can you fix it, Cas?” Cas shook his head. 

“It is not anything I have seen before, Dean. I do not think I could find a cure in time. According to Charlie and Sam, you only have a matter of hours before you start losing your senses.” Dean slammed his fist on the bed. “You are going to have to start confessing your secrets, Dean. Hopefully one of them will break the spell.” Dean looked at Cas in despair, before looking away. Then he stood up, as if he’d decided on something, and marched out of the room. Cas followed in his wake, confused as usual.

Dean stopped in front of the TV, earning surprised yells from Sam and Charlie.

“I need alcohol.” He said, grimly. “Lots and lots of alcohol.” Charlie jumped out of her seat and ran to get whiskey and shot glasses. She held one up and waggled it in Cas’ direction as a question and he shook his head, so she came back to her seat with three glasses. Sam turned off the TV and Dean sat down heavily on the sofa with Cas beside him and Sam & Charlie resuming their places on the other sofa. Charlie poured shots for each of them and Dean downed his before she’d finished pouring hers and Sam’s, so she topped up his glass.

“OK.” Sam said, picking up his glass. “Would this be easier for you if we treat it like a game of truth or dare? That way you’re not the only one spilling secrets.” Dean nodded and swallowed hard. Sam downed his shot and turned to Charlie, who looked at him in alarm. This hadn’t been part of the plan and although she could see the wisdom in it, she wasn’t convinced she was ready to share secrets with the boys. “Truth or dare, Charlie?” Sam smirked. Oh, the little brat, she thought. He was doing this on purpose.

“Dare. Obviously.” She downed her shot, grimacing slightly at the taste, before topping up all three glasses. Sam thought hard. 

“I dare you... to down a double shot of that chilli vodka you got me for Christmas.” Charlie pulled a face. That vodka had been a gag gift and she knew it would be awful, but she couldn’t back out of a dare, not if they wanted Dean to spill his guts. She stalked over to the drinks cabinet, pulled out the vodka and handed it to Sam.

“You’re a dead man.” She hissed as he poured her an extra large measure. She downed it and squealed as the chilli burned her throat. “I hate you!” she gasped as the three men all laughed at her plight. Charlie flopped back into her seat and Sam pulled her into a hug. She grinned up at him, letting him know she wasn’t seriously mad at him. “OK Cas! Truth or dare?” Cas looked shocked- he hadn’t considered he was part of their game. He had seen it played before but never played himself.

“Oh. No. I... I cannot play.” He stammered. Charlie shook her head at the same time as both Winchesters protested. Cas held up his hands and acquiesced. “Fine. Truth.” Charlie looked at him with a devious glint in her eye.

“Do you have all your... male functions?” Sam snorted a laugh and Dean put his head in his hands and groaned.

“Male functions?”

“Yeah, you know,” Charlie gestured to his crotch “Male functions.” Sam was shaking with laughter, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I don’t... I haven’t... I don’t know.” Cas flushed slightly. Dean unceremoniously poured himself a shot and downed it before pouring a second. Charlie joined Sam laughing and Cas looked at Dean, utterly baffled. Dean shook his head.

“Don’t ask, man. They’re just yanking your chain.” Charlie composed herself long enough to point out that it was Cas’ turn to ask Dean.

“Truth or dare, Dean?” he asked softly. Dean looked into the deep blue eyes of the angel, swallowed hard and replied;

“Truth.” Sam and Charlie had stopped laughing and were sitting silently watching the exchange. 

“Why do you find it so hard to share your feelings, Dean?” Dean gasped- he hadn’t expected Cas to come up with such a probing question, and he downed yet another shot. The alcohol had given him a good buzz now and he was starting to get the tell-tale tingling in his fingertips that signalled he was on the verge of being drunk.

“Feelings are for girls, Cas.” He slammed back another shot and without hesitation said “Truth or dare, Sammy?”

“Dare” replied Sam without pausing to think. Dean grinned evilly.

“I dare you to go and put on a pair of Charlie’s underwear.” Charlie squeaked in protest as Sam stalked towards her room, throwing a patented Sam Winchester bitchface at his brother. Charlie jumped up and followed Sam, most likely to find a pair for him.

“Why would you say feelings are for girls, Dean?” asked Cas softly into the silence of the room. Dean looked away, unable to face the angel in that moment.

“When I feel things, Cas, people get hurt. Everyone I care about gets hurt. So isn’t it better if I don’t feel?” Dean’s voice hitched on the last word and Cas felt tears prickling his eyes. Poor Dean. The man was so clearly desperate to be loved but couldn’t bring himself to feel anything. Sam and Charlie broke the tension in the room by reappearing at that moment, Sam walking oddly and Charlie cackling.

“They’re pink, Dean! Pink! The only pair I had that would even be close to fitting him. They’re not mine though- I kept them from a particularly awesome night at a bar in Minnesota somewhere. Tina, I think her name was. She was incredible.” Sam sat down and winced as the tight panties pinched his skin. Dean chuckled, but there was no real joy behind it.

“Payback time.” Huffed Sam. “Truth or dare, Dean?” Dean remembered the reason for their game and didn’t question the change in direction of the questioning.

“Truth” said the older Winchester, pouring yet another shot. Cas gently took the bottle from him and handed it to Charlie. They silently agreed that Dean was done for the night, and Dean didn’t fight them. Sam cleared his throat as Dean sipped the whiskey.

“Have you had any sexual fantasies about someone in this room?” Dean choked on the whiskey and Cas slapped him on the back.

“DUDE! You’re my brother. That would be so gross. And Charlie’s practically my sister, so no there too.” After a moment’s silence, Charlie quietly said;

“There are three people in this room, Dean.” Dean flushed scarlet.

“Charlie... don’t...” Dean whispered, catching her eye, and she moved to his side.

“It’s OK Dean. It’s really OK.” She kissed the top of his head and turned his face to look at her. “Just tell me. No-one else is here. It’s just us.” Dean swallowed hard.

“Yes.” He whispered. Sam held his breath and waited for Cas to catch up. He watched as Cas’ eye widened, all the time Dean and Charlie never breaking eye contact. She was holding Dean’s hand in hers and rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb soothingly.

“Good boy.” She murmured. “Anything else?” Cas looked at Sam, who shook his head softly. They couldn’t break this moment, they might never get Dean back to this stage.

“I... I wish...” Dean’s words came out almost as a sob, but Charlie kept on rubbing his hand and smiling gently.

“Go on, Dean. You can do this. I believe in you.” Sam suddenly saw how good Charlie was for Dean, how much her presence had softened his older brother. She was so much like Dean in so many ways and yet she brought a softness and lightness to their lives. He made a mental note to tell her that as soon as he got the chance.

“I think...” Dean faltered again before taking a deep breath.

“Do you love someone in this room, Dean? Really love them? Not in a sibling way?” Charlie supplied the words that Dean clearly couldn’t manage. He nodded ever so slightly. Sam would have missed it if he hadn’t been looking so intently at the scene in front of him. “So why can’t you say it, Dean? Why can’t you let yourself feel it and be happy? Because I’d bet everything I have that you’re loved too.” Again Cas looked at Sam, who looked back questioningly. Cas held Sam’s gaze for a second, nodded decisively, and then looked back at Dean and Charlie. A single tear ran down Dean’s cheek and Charlie reached up to brush it away. Dean closed his eyes and didn’t notice Charlie and Cas trade places. 

“I can’t be loved. I can’t love. It’s wrong. I’m not worthy. I’m broken.” Cas took Dean’s hands in his own.

“Never say that, Dean. You are worthy. I saved you from Hell. I gave up everything for you. You must know...” Dean’s eyes snapped open and he gazed into the blue expanse of Cas’ eyes. Slowly Dean leaned forward and pressed his lips to Cas’. It was just that, a brief touching of lips, dry and chaste, but it told everyone in the room everything they needed to know. Dean loved Cas. Sam stood and he and Charlie left the room quietly, leaving Dean and Cas sitting with their foreheads together, Dean’s hands enclosed in Cas’.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just basically pure smut, so consider yourself warned. It's my first attempt at M/M action, so I apologise if it's a little clumsy.

Several minutes passed with Dean and Cas still. They heard the door to the garage slam and the rumble of the Impala engine as it left the building. Seconds later, Dean’s phone chimed with a text.

 _“Gone to the bar with S. Gonna try to get us both laid. Maybe you should do the same? ;-) Proud of you, love you Deano. C xx_ ” Dean smiled as he read the text from Charlie, reminding himself to thank her tomorrow. He looked up to see Cas still looking at him adoringly, and he took a deep breath.

“Look, Cas,” he began, tentatively. “I just had to say that stuff for the spell. I don’t want things to change around here. I’m sorry if it’s made you feel uncomfortable.” Cas’ phone vibrated and Cas checked the text message, stood and walked to the kitchen. He returned a minute later with a slice of pie and a glass of milk, left on the counter by Charlie.

“Let’s see if the confession worked.” He handed a fork to Dean who took a tiny bite of the pie. The sweet, tangy, cinnamon-apple blend warmed his tongue and he groaned filthily. Cas took the fork from Dean’s hand and took another small piece of the pie. Dean watched, expecting Cas to eat it, but instead Cas raised the fork to Dean’s lips. A jolt of electricity shot through Dean, straight to his groin as Cas slid the fork into his mouth. This time the taste of the pie was overshadowed by the look on Cas’ face, and before he knew what was happening, Cas had pushed his lips to Dean’s. Cas gently licked Dean’s top lip, tasting the sweet apple filling lingering there, and Dean opened his mouth just a fraction. Cas pulled back, and scooped up another forkful of pie to feed to Dean. Dean took the pie, and felt a flush rise on his face at the intense intimacy of the moment. Again, once the pie was in Dean’s mouth, Cas leaned forward and pressed his lips to Dean’s. This time, Dean opened his mouth and allowed his tongue to gently touch Cas’, earning a noise from Cas which was entirely not PG rated. Dean felt the blood rush south as Cas probed his mouth insistently with his tongue, kissing him in a way that was not expected from an Angel of the Lord. As Cas pulled back and went to scoop up more pie for Dean, Dean took the fork from Cas’ hand and shook his head.

“Enough pie.” He whispered, and closed the gap between them once more. This kiss was more fevered, less gentle. Dean’s hands left Cas’ and one rested on his knee while the other wound into Cas’ dark hair. Cas was no less shy with his own hands, placing one on the side of Dean’s face and the other on his waist. As they kissed, they explored each other’s bodies over their clothes. Cas was the one to break the kiss, hauling Dean to his feet, catching him when the younger man lost his balance. Cas realised how much alcohol Dean had consumed and felt that he couldn’t go any further until Dean was sober. Dean seemed to realise that same thing in the same second and nodded at Cas.

“Can you...” he waggled his fingers, indicating he wanted Cas to use his angel powers to sober him up.

“Are you sure?” Cas asked, raising his hand. Dean nodded and closed his eyes as Cas touched his forehead. The heady drunken feeling disappeared and Dean blushed again when he realised what had happened. Sensing Dean’s discomfort, Cas took a step backwards, disentangling himself from the hunter.

“I’ll leave you to think.” Said Cas, and as he turned to go, Dean grabbed his arm.

“No, please. Stay.” Cas looked into the hunter’s forest green eyes and saw the longing there. Dean slid his hand down Cas’ arm and intertwined their fingers without breaking eye contact. He turned and led Cas down the corridor to his room. Cas shut the door behind them, and there was a moment of awkwardness. Neither angel nor hunter seemed to know what to do next, but their hands remained together, so Dean gave a gentle tug to pull Cas closer.

“Kiss me.” He breathed, and Cas, who always wanted to make Dean happy, gladly complied. This kiss started gently but very quickly regained the heat they had been building back in the living room. Dean sucked on Cas’ bottom lip, drawing a groan from both men, and Cas’ hands roamed Dean’s torso, feeling the taught muscles. They moved backwards towards the bed sinking down onto Dean’s beloved memory foam mattress all without breaking the kiss. Cas took control, laying Dean on his back and straddling his hips, all while exploring Dean’s chest with his hands. He reached under the beaten-up old t-shirt, and Dean gasped as skin touched skin for the first time. Cas pulled up the t-shirt to remove it, and they broke apart just long enough for the shirt to be discarded. Dean fumbled with the buttons on Cas’ shirt, removing it quickly and moving his shaking hands down to Cas’ belt. Cas put his hands over Dean’s to stop him, and Dean broke their kiss.

“We should wait, Dean. Let’s not rush into anything you might regret tomorrow.” Cas looked so serious that Dean couldn’t help but smile. Even after everything, Cas still always wanted Dean to be comfortable, no matter what.

“Cas, I...” Dean took a deep, shaky breath. “I love you. I want you. I’ll happily wait if it’s what you want but you need to know that this is something I have wanted and dreamed about for a very long time, so I won’t feel differently in the morning.” Cas’ eyes were wide as he processed Dean’s words. Dean looked as if he was terrified Cas was going to reject him but Cas leaned down and gently kissed Dean’s forehead.

“I love you too, Dean. I did not think angels could feel this kind of emotion but I suppose I have always been a bit different from other angels.” It was Dean’s turn to look surprised.

“Youloveme?” the words came out in a rush. Cas smiled widely.

“Of course, Dean. I have loved you since the very first moment I saw your soul in Hell. Your soul shone so brightly even after the decades you had spent in that vile place. When I touched your soul with my grace, I knew then that I had lost my heart to you. I never thought you would feel the same way.” Cas stroked the side of Dean’s face as he spoke, and looked at him with such reverence that Dean felt... well, he didn’t know what he felt. He just knew it felt different from anything he’d felt before.

“Make love to me, Cas” The words tumbled out of his mouth before Dean had chance to process them, and the part of his brain still clinging to the teachings of John Winchester cringed at the chick-flick worthy words and was disgusted by his weakness. But the bigger part of his brain squashed those thoughts because that was exactly what Dean wanted. He didn’t want sex or a fuck or to bang. He wanted to make love, and he’d never wanted that before. Not even with Cassie or Lisa. His father’s voice taunted him, calling him homophobic names for even considering this act, but as Cas brought their lips together again, the emotion swept away that hateful voice. Cas loved him. He loved Cas. He needed to show the angel exactly what that meant to him. Dean once again moved his hands to Cas’ belt buckle, more confidently this time and with significantly less shaking. As he opened the belt, the button and the zipper and slid his hands inside to touch the cotton boxers Cas wore underneath, his own cock hardened. Cas leapt off the bed, and stripped all his clothing as quickly as possible, encouraging Dean to do the same. Dean’s first sight of Cas’ cock filled him with equal measures of dread and longing. He was going to do this. That large, solid dick was going to go where nothing had gone before. Dean gulped hard as he lay back down on the bed. Cas knelt beside the bed, level with Dean’s rock-hard cock and gently took it in his hand. Dean watched, heart racing, as Cas explored every millimetre of Dean’s cock with his fingers, then reached out his tongue to caress the head. Dean’s head flew back and his eyes slammed shut as the sensations flooded his body.

“Look at me, Dean.” Cas commanded, and as Dean made eye contact, Cas took his cock into his mouth. Dean groaned as Cas sucked and licked, never taking his eyes off Dean’s, as briefly Dean wondered how on Earth Cas knew what he was doing. As far as he knew, Cas had never received a blow job, let alone given one. Quickly, Dean decided that was a conversation they’d have another time, as Cas’ tongue sinfully caressed him in ways he’d never dreamed possible. Dean’s hands combed through Cas’ hair as his hips bucked upwards involuntarily. Then Dean heard a familiar click, and his heart faltered. Cas had used his angel mojo to get some lube and panic started to rise in Dean’s chest. Cas must have felt the tension in Dean’s muscles because he removed his mouth from Dean, looked him straight in the eye and whispered;

“Trust me.” Those were like magic words, and Dean relaxed. He did trust Cas, and he knew Cas wouldn’t ever hurt him. He sighed as Cas replaced his mouth and shifted his legs apart without even thinking about it. He felt Cas’ lubed finger trace a line from his balls down to his virgin hole and forced himself to just focus on the exquisite sensations of Cas’ mouth. That rogue finger circled his hole so gently he could be forgiven for thinking he’d imagined it, and Dean moaned as Cas did something sinful with his tongue. At the same moment, Cas pushed the very, very tip of his finger into Dean but Dean was so far gone on the warmth of Cas’ mouth that he didn’t even flinch. Cas repeated his tongue trick as he pushed a millimetre further in, again and again as Dean writhed on the bed underneath him. Soon, Cas had his finger in to the first knuckle and he drew it out slowly before pushing it back in equally as slowly. The whole time he continued his ministrations on Dean’s dick, drawing gorgeously erotic sounds from the hunter. Eventually, using that same distracting technique, Cas had his finger buried entirely in Dean’s ass. He released his cock and smiled up at Dean.

“OK?” he questioned, wiggling his finger slightly. Dean sighed contentedly and nodded, so Cas just focused on his fingers. He watched as his lubed finger slid in and out of Dean and when it seemed that Dean was enjoying the feeling, Cas very carefully added a second slick finger, all the time moving painfully slowly and allowing Dean the chance to adjust to the sensations. Before long, Dean was controlling the speed, fucking himself on Cas’ fingers and Cas added a third, spreading them gently to open Dean up further. Cas watched Dean’s cock bouncing and throbbing as he filled Dean with three fingers, and as he found the prostate gland, he grinned as Dean arched his back off the bed.

“Please, Cas. Please” breathed Dean. Cas didn’t need asking twice and he withdrew his fingers and spread lube all over his own pulsing cock. He looked down at Dean’s face, flushed and sweaty, his bottom lip swollen from Dean biting on it. Cas leant down and gave Dean a gentle, loving kiss as he positioned himself between the man’s thighs, but Dean wasn’t content with gentle and loving and deepened the kiss. Cas’ hard member nudged against Dean’s waiting hole as their tongues battled for dominance, and with a single thrust, Cas was inside his hunter. Dean sucked on Cas’ tongue as Cas slid his cock all the way in, almost coming from the tight warmth enveloping his cock. He stilled as he bottomed out and Dean pulled away to look into the angel’s eyes.

“Make love to me, Cas” Dean echoed his words from earlier, running his hands along the angel’s biceps. Cas started to move, never taking his eyes off Dean’s, slowly thrusting in and out. Dean had never felt so full or so painfully aroused, and the fact that Cas was thrusting into him while maintaining eye contact was ridiculously hot. He knew this wouldn’t last long but he wanted it to last forever. A warmth filled his chest as he realised that this was the first of many, many times he would be with Cas because _Cas loved him_ , and it wasn’t a soulless, emotionless one night stand. This was real and permanent and so fucking exhilarating. Dean ran his hands down Cas’ back and settled them on his hips, before controlling the speed of Cas’ thrusts. He moved him faster and almost growled at the feeling of Cas’ cock ramming into him. Cas’ mouth dropped open as his body took over and he slammed into Dean harder and faster. Dean, for his part, held on to Cas’ hips and focused on holding on so they could come together, but the sounds Cas was making were insanely hot. When it all got too much he whimpered;

“Cas, I’m gonna...” and at that moment, both men came hard, Cas shooting into Dean’s welcoming body and Dean covering both of their stomachs. As he came down from what was possibly the most intense orgasm he’d ever had, Dean felt Cas’ arms shaking as he held himself up over Dean. Dean pulled him down, sandwiching the mess between them and allowing Cas to slip out of his body. Neither man cared at that moment as they were both exhausted and sated. Dean stroked Cas’ back with his fingertips as their breathing regulated and their heartbeats slowed. As Cas came back to his senses, he turned his face to kiss Dean’s cheek, a gesture Dean found so adorably _Cas_ that he almost laughed. Cas rolled off of Dean and laid on his side facing him. Dean turned onto his side and stared into Cas’ eyes.

“Wow.” Dean said, running his hands up and down Cas’ arm, feeling the goosebumps rising there.

“Yeah” was all Cas could manage in response. He did, however, muster up enough energy to use his angel mojo to clean them both up, something Dean was immensely grateful for, as the cooling semen on his stomach and thighs was starting to gross him out. Dean reached down and pulled up the blankets, covering them both. He rolled onto his back and pulled Cas to him, with Cas’ head pillowed on his chest. Dean ran his fingers through the messy mop of hair as Cas drew lazy circles on Dean’s stomach.

“God, I love you so much” Dean blurted out. He felt Cas smile.

“I know.” Dean laughed in amazement.

“Did you just Han Solo me?!” he asked, and the deep chuckle from the sleepy man beside him told him that he really had found a soul mate.

“Sleep, Dean.” Whispered Cas, and Dean obeyed. They spent the whole night wrapped in each other’s arms.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean woke to the feeling of someone stroking his hair. A mild sense of panic overtook him and he barely resisted the urge to leap out of bed and run away. Cas sensed this somehow, and held him tighter, one hand rubbing his back gently while the other carried on combing through his hair.

“I always wondered if your hair was as soft as it looks. Now I know it is.” Cas’ deep voice was quiet in the still morning air and Dean shuddered involuntarily. Cas loosened his grip slightly and Dean shifted so they were face to face.

“Hi” he murmured, shyly.

“Hello Dean.” Cas leaned towards Dean to kiss him but stopped halfway. Whether this was deliberate so that Dean had to be the one to make a decision to kiss Cas or if Cas chickened out at the last second was neither here nor there. The result was that Dean had to make a choice. For a heart-stopping second, Cas thought Dean was going to move away but Dean surprised both of them by closing the gap and carefully kissing the angel. The kiss lasted mere seconds and was as chaste as they come, but both men recognised the importance of it. Dean made the choice to continue instead of writing the previous night’s events off as emotion and alcohol. Dean was choosing Cas. Cas grinned widely as Dean pulled away.

“What?!” Dean asked, baffled by the expression on Cas’ face. Cas just kept grinning and cupped Dean’s cheek with his hand. Unthinkingly, Dean leaned into Cas’ palm.

“You’re... so relaxed. It’s nice.” Dean chuckled.

“Did you expect me to run away?” Cas nodded solemnly.

“Yes. Yes I did.” Dean’s heart jumped at the sadness in Cas’ voice. He felt guilty for making the angel feel that way, and leant forward to kiss him again, just as softly as the first.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m here as long as you want me, Cas. I’m yours as long as you’ll have me.” They kissed for a while longer, never quite crossing the boundary from lazy, loving kisses to passionate ones but any thoughts of progression were halted by Dean’s stomach loudly grumbling. They both laughed into their kiss, and got out of bed, pulling on their discarded underwear. Dean grabbed two towels and Cas’ hand and led him to the bathroom.

“Shower first, then breakfast”

“Dean, it is unnecessary for me to shower.” Dean looked over his shoulder and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Oh. OH!” Cas got it and blushed. In the bathroom, Dean hung the towels on the rack and turned on the water. Cas stood by the door, unsure of what to do but content to watch Dean. When Dean held out his hand to Cas, he eagerly crossed the room to take it, and found himself quickly wrapped in Dean’s arms with his mouth being plundered by the hunter’s tongue. Dean pushed Cas’ boxers down, kicked off his own and pulled Cas under the steaming water. He reached up and grabbed a bottle of shower gel and a sponge from the shelf and began washing Cas. Finally separating their mouths, he turned Cas around and began washing his back and down his legs. Cas put his hands against the shower wall and moaned as Dean ran the sponge up the inside of his thighs, stopping just before he reached his balls. The groan from Cas instantly hardened Dean’s cock. It was so filthy and unangelic that it turned him on more than he thought possible, and Dean decided that this was going to be the perfect time for Cas’ first blowjob. He faltered slightly as he realised that meant it would be his first time giving a blowjob. He waited for the feel of revulsion but it didn’t come. Instead the thought of Cas’ length in his mouth hardened him further and he reached through Cas’ legs with the sponge to wash his front, chuckling slightly as Cas’ legs wobbled at the touch of Dean’s hand on his erection. Dean turned Cas around and pushed him back against the wall. He washed off the bubbles- a mouthful of soap did not sound appealing- and breathed gently on the tip of Cas’ cock. Cas let out another moan, and Dean touched him ever so gently with the tip of his tongue. 

“OH!” Cas’ breathy moan of surprise almost made Dean come untouched, knowing that such a simple touch from him could evoke those feelings from this powerful being. Without further thought or hesitation, Dean took the head into his mouth and swirled around the top with his tongue exactly the way he liked it. He decided the best course of action was to do the things he knew he liked and see how Cas reacted, so he’d know for next time. His heart jumped at that thought. Next time. There was going to be a next time, and a time after that. This was for real. Cas’ hips jerked involuntarily, pushing his cock into Dean’s throat making him gag and his eyes water. Cas started to apologise but Dean sucked hard, pulling the air from Cas’ lungs and the words died on his tongue. Cas kept his hands by his sides, not really knowing what else to do with them, but looked down to watch Dean as he worked. Dean looked up and caught Cas’ eyes, and grinned around the cock in his mouth. It was the most erotic thing Cas had ever seen, the man he loved more than life itself on his knees taking Cas deep in his mouth. Dean’s hand travelled up Cas’ leg until he found his hand, which he moved to the back of his head. Cas instantly wound his fingers in the short hair, tugging gently and earning a deep moan from Dean. That alone was enough to push Cas over the edge and, with a loud cry of Dean’s name, he shot his load into Dean’s mouth. Dean wasn’t expecting Cas to come quite so soon and wasn’t ready for it. He hadn’t thought that far ahead and hadn’t decided what he was going to do once they reached that point so he had to make a quick decision. He knew he hated it when girls spat after he’d come, because it made him feel a bit dirty (and not in a good way). He closed his eyes and swallowed, grimacing at the taste and texture. He understood why girls spat now. The look on Cas’ face made it worth it though, and Cas pulled Dean up gently by his hair and kissed him passionately.

“That was incredible.” Cas sighed into Dean’s mouth, licking all around and tasting himself there. Dean bucked his hips without meaning to, simply because the sensation was so erotic. Cas bent to pick up the sponge and began washing Dean with slow, steady circles along his chest, moving slowly downwards. When he reached Dean’s cock, he dropped the sponge but not before squeezing a load of bubbles onto his hand. He used those bubbles to clean Dean’s length, soaping him in the same slow, steady way he’d washed his chest. As Cas closed his fist around Dean, the hunter threw back his head and whimpered. He’d never admit to it being a whimper, of course, but that is exactly what it was. Cas sped up his movements and pulled Dean’s lips to his for another kiss, full of desire and promise. Their tongues battled and Cas gently swiped his thumb over the slit of Dean’s cock, causing his knees to buckle as he came all over Cas’ hand. Cas held Dean’s weight up as the younger man sagged into him. Cas gently kissed Dean’s temple as he rinsed his hand under the spray, then reached for the shampoo. He rubbed it into Dean’s scalp, lightly scratching as he went, then guided Dean’s pliant body under the spray to rinse off. Then he rinsed himself, quickly shampooing his own hair, before they stepped out of the shower and wrapped themselves in warm towels. Hand in hand, they walked back to the bedroom, and would have happily carried on with their lovemaking had Dean’s stomach not loudly rumbled again, making both men laugh. They dressed quickly, Dean handing Cas a t-shirt from his drawer to replace his usual formal attire and Cas was baffled when he realised Dean had handed him his favourite shirt. Dean turned around with a pair of jeans in his hand for Cas and saw Cas standing staring at the shirt.

“Hey. What’s up?” Dean handed the jeans to Cas.

“This is your favourite shirt, Dean.” Cas tried to hand it back to Dean, sure he’d mistakenly given the angel the wrong shirt. Dean smiled.

“I want you to wear it. Damn, Cas, do you know how many times I’ve pictured you in my shirt?” As he spoke, Dean took the shirt from Cas, unfolded it and pulled it on over Cas’ still damp hair. He stepped back to admire his choice as Cas pulled on the jeans. They were too long, as Dean was several inches taller, and too big around the waist, but Dean had also handed Cas a belt which he used to secure the pants. Cas looked up to see Dean staring at him. Cas self-consciously smoothed his hair and Dean pulled him in for a deep kiss.

“Even better than I imagined” Dean said, smirking. Then he turned and left the room, leaving Cas standing breathless in the middle of the room.


	8. Chapter 8

By the time Cas regained his senses and joined Dean in the kitchen, the latter had already collected the items he would need for breakfast and was whisking pancake batter in a large bowl. He looked up as Cas entered the room, grinned and motioned for Cas to take a seat at the table. Cas sat silently and watched as Dean moved smoothly around the kitchen, cooking up a feast. They heard the door to the garage open and laughter from Sam and Charlie as they made their way to the kitchen. From the doorway, Charlie surveyed the situation between angel and hunter and, obviously deciding it was to her liking, moved to sit next to Cas.

“Breakfast?” asked Dean, gesturing towards the selection of goodies he was creating.

“Please.” Affirmed Sam, sliding into the seat next to Charlie. Dean raised an eyebrow at Sam and Charlie.

“Walk of shame, eh?” he chuckled. Charlie smirked, unashamed.

“Sisters.” She held up her fist to Sam, who bumped it with his own. “Very flexible sisters.”

“Nice.” Cas looked between the trio in confusion. 

“What is a “walk of shame”?” he asked. Sam shook his head.

“It means when you leave the home of a one night stand in the same clothes you went out in the night before. Dean has had plenty of experience with those.” Dean flicked his middle finger at his brother. 

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.” Charlie got up and started collecting cutlery and setting the table.

“So.” She broke the silence, which was now verging on awkward. “You two have fun last night?” Sam glanced at his brother, almost expecting him to deny anything had happened, despite the fact Cas was sitting at the table in Dean’s clothes with serious sex hair and what looked suspiciously like a hickey peeking out of the collar of his borrowed shirt. Cas looked at Dean with wide eyes- he knew only too well of Dean’s resistance to all things emotional and he prepared himself for the same denial Sam was expecting.

“Yes thanks.” Said Dean, calmly, flipping a pancake without turning around. “And no walk of shame necessary.” Sam and Cas were stunned into silence by Dean’s nonchalance, but Charlie took it in her stride.

“So now you two are... you know. A thing?” Dean placed a platter of pancakes on the table and turned back for a large plate of bacon. Cas seemed to regain his voice.

“Charlie, it is not something Dean is comfortable discussing.”Dean sat in the chair next to Cas and covered the angel’s hand with his own.

“’S OK, Cas. Yeah. We’re a thing. I mean... if that’s what you want Cas.” Dean looked at Cas with such adoration that all Cas could do was nod mutely. “Awesome. Now eat before it gets cold.” Dean leaned forward and dropped a soft kiss to Cas’ lips before starting to eat. Now Charlie joined the ranks of the stunned and all three of them stared at Dean in wonder. “What?!” he asked through a mouthful of food.

“Nothing, nothing!” replied Sam quickly, helping himself to pancakes. Dean stopped with a forkful of pancake halfway to his mouth.

“Oh I get it. You were all expecting me to pretend nothing was going on, right?” He looked from Sam to Charlie and finally to Cas. All three nodded as his gaze landed on them. “Even you, huh?” he said sadly to Cas. “Wow.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry for making you feel that way, Cas.” He lifted the angel’s hand and intertwined their fingers. Then he lifted the back of Cas’ hand to his mouth and kissed it. He met Cas’ eyes and the expression in them made him want to pull the older man into his lap and kiss him until he was breathless. Dean suddenly realised that he could do that. He could do whatever he wanted because Cas loved him. With a tug on their joined hands, Dean pulled Cas into his lap and kissed him. 

“Guys!”

“Oh God, please not at the table!” Dean and Cas laughed at the horror in both Charlie and Sam’s voices at their PDA. 

“Hey, I made you ungrateful stop-outs breakfast, the least you can do it let me have my fun.” Echoing his actions with the pie the night before, Cas took Dean’s fork from him and started feeding him pancakes. Dean enjoyed the expressions on the faces of his brother and adopted sister- they wore identical looks of disgust.

“I thought the eye sex was bad.” Groaned Charlie. Cas looked at her and tilted his head in confusion. Dean’s heart stuttered slightly at the sight.

“I don’t understand. What is “eye sex”?” Dean snorted with laughter and hid is face in Cas’ shoulder, leaving it to Charlie to explain.

“You guys do this thing; it’s really uncomfortable for everyone else. You just stare at each other and even though neither of you say or do anything, it feels like watching a couple in love have sex. It’s weird and makes me feel like a perv.” Sam laughed at her accurate description. Cas looked at Dean in confusion but Dean still had his face hidden in Cas’ shoulder. The slight shaking of Dean’s shoulders told Cas he was laughing.

“Do we do that?” he asked.

“Yes.” Charlie and Sam spoke at the same time. Dean lifted his head.

“About five people have told me we do that. I’d never really thought anything of it. I thought they were just being dicks but I guess we really do do it.” He caught Cas’ eye and they just stared at each other for a few long seconds.

“Dude! Trying to eat here!” yelled Sam. Dean broke eye contact to grin at his brother and took the forkful of food Cas was holding up. 

“We’ve created a monster” muttered Charlie, almost to herself. 

“So what are we going to do today?” asked Cas, still perched on Dean’s lap and feeding him his breakfast. Sam avoided looking at the pair of them and concentrated solely on his food, while Charlie tapped on her phone.

“Well, there’s some weird shit going down about 100 miles from here. Looks vaguely like our kind of thing, with people getting weird urges.” Sam looked at the phone screen Charlie was holding out to him and then took it to pass to Dean. Dean nodded as he read.

“OK. But no spells, right? You two are ditching that damn book.” Charlie looked at him impishly.

“Oh Dean. Were it not for the spells, you would still be moping about in unconfessed loveland and we’d be dealing with your miserable attitude. So you should be thanking us.” 

“Thanking you?! I could have died, Charlie!”

“Nah, you were never in any danger.” Charlie seemed to realise what she had said, and Sam kicked her under the table. “I mean, I knew you’d confess your feelings and you’d be fine.” Sam dropped his head into his hands, knowing Dean wasn’t dumb enough to buy that reasoning.

“Charlie.” Dean practically growled. “What are you not telling me?” He glared at her across the table and she whimpered, grabbing on to Sam’s arm.

“It doesn’t matter now because you’re fine and we just wanted to make you happy again because you were so miserable without Cas here, and you never would have said anything otherwise...” The rush of words spilling from Charlie’s mouth dried up as Dean turned his glare on to Sam.

“You. Tell me exactly what you did.” Sam swallowed hard.

“The potion we made. It was fake. There never was a poltergeist spell, or even a poltergeist. The mixture you drank was harmless.” Dean stood up abruptly, almost tipping Cas to the floor, and stormed out of the room. 

“Are you saying Dean doesn’t want me?” Cas asked softly, a lump in his throat. This couldn’t all be fake, not after the amazing things that had happened since Dean drank the potion. Charlie smiled reassuringly at him.

“Of course he wants you, Cas. Everything he admitted was true; he just needed a push to get him there.” Charlie and Sam explained everything they’d done to Cas, from the beginning. When they were done, and Dean still hadn’t returned, Cas stood up.

“I shall go and see if Dean is still angry.” He started to walk out of the room, but stopped and turned back to Sam and Charlie. “I can see the logic in your actions and I can understand that you thought you were doing the right thing. I am not sure if I can convince Dean of that though. You may want to leave him alone for a while.” Sam nodded.

“We’ll go on this hunt and get a head start. You guys can catch us up in a day or so if there’s something to deal with.” Cas nodded and left the room. “Go get packed.” Sam said to Charlie. “Best if we get out of here as soon as we can and let Cas work his magic on Dean.” Charlie left to pack up her things and Sam began clearing the table. As he was washing the last of the dishes, Charlie re-entered the room with her backpack on her shoulder. Her hair was still wet so she’d obviously had a quick shower. She picked up the nearest towel and started drying the dishes. Sam kissed the top of her head and turned to leave.

“It’ll be fine, Charlie. Dean will be mad for a day or two and then he’ll get over it. We’ll have some fun while we’re out of town too, OK?” Charlie grabbed Sam and hugged him tightly, before sending him off to pack with a slap to his behind.

When Cas had reached Dean’s room, Dean was laying on his back on the bed with one arm thrown over his face. Cas stood in the doorway until Dean growled;

“In or out, Cas.” Cas stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. With a sense of déjà vu, he stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. Dean sat up abruptly, making Cas jump.

“I’m going to kill them. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to slaughter them, nice and slow.” Cas walked to Dean’s side and sat on the bed beside him.

“No you’re not.”

“I’m not?” Cas shook his head, smiling.

“No. You’re going to thank them.” Dean’s eyes widened.

“I am?” he asked, incredulously. Cas nodded and leant closer to Dean.

“You are. Because if they hadn’t made up that ridiculous story, I wouldn’t be sitting here able to do this...” he kissed Dean’s neck lightly. “Or this...” he ran his hand up into Dean’s   
hair, kissing his neck again. “Or this.” He breathed, crashing their lips together. Cas snaked his tongue into Dean’s mouth, and Dean’s hands found their way to Cas’ waist and rear. Cas pulled away. “Still want to go and kill them?” Dean shrugged.

“Maybe just maim them?” Cas shook his head. He stroked Dean’s face tenderly with the back of his hand.

“All of this and you still want to hurt them?”

“They lied to us, Cas! They lied and schemed and scared me. It’s not right. Aren’t you mad?” Dean broke off half-heartedly as Cas resumed kissing Dean’s neck. 

“Nope” replied Cas, popping the P sound. “You never would have admitted your feelings on your own, and I would never have admitted mine until I knew you were ready to admit yours, so we’d have been stuck like that forever. Were you happy like that?” Dean shook his head. “Are you happy now?” Dean got caught up in the shimmering blue eyes and nodded dumbly. “Well, what’s to be mad about?” In Dean’s lust-soaked brain, Cas’ logic made perfect sense, and while Cas was planting tiny kisses up and down his neck, Dean couldn’t think of a solid reason for anything except stripping off their clothes and climbing back into bed. Cas brought their mouths together again, and ran his hands along the waistband of Dean’s jeans. Dean slid his hands up Cas’ back under the t-shirt and ran his nails lightly down Cas’ back, earning a soft groan of pleasure. Cas stood and stripped quickly. Once he was fully naked, he pulled Dean to his feet and helped him out of his clothes. 

“What would make you feel better, Dean?” Cas asked seductively. Dean didn’t know if Cas was being seductive on purpose, but it had the desired effect on him. His pupils widened and his mouth dried as Cas stood naked in front of him, offering him everything all at once.

“Can I...” Dean took Cas’ hand in his. Dean didn’t really know what he wanted in that moment. Cas smiled and pulled him in for another smouldering kiss. Cas took charge, leading them to the bed and pushing Dean carefully down. He straddled Dean’s hips, rubbing their erect cocks together as he carried on assaulting Dean’s mouth with his tongue. Using his angel powers, Cas brought a tube of cherry lubricant from Dean’s nightstand and held it in his hand, warming it through the plastic tube. He flipped open the lid and Dean pulled back. 

“May I?” Dean asked quietly. Cas nodded, and allowed Dean to roll him over onto his back and take the lube from his hand. Dean kissed down Cas’ body making the angel squirm and wriggle when he touched on certain points. Dean filed those away for later, knowing that he’d make full use of this knowledge another time. Dean reached Cas’ cock and took the tip in his mouth, sucking gently. Cas whined and whimpered but didn’t speak. Dean trailed his finger down Cas’ thigh then back up to his perineum. He pulled off of Cas’ cock and looked up at him.

“Is this OK?” he asked. Cas nodded. “If you want me to stop, just say. At any point, OK? I’ll stop if you’re not happy.” Cas looked at Dean with such affection that Dean had to look away. Instead, he kissed along the inside of Cas’ thighs and licked his balls while stroking Cas’ perineum. He dipped his finger down and ran it across Cas’ hole, making the angel arch off the bed. Dean sucked on Cas’ thigh, leaving a vivid mark, as he squeezed a generous amount of lube on his finger. He felt strangely nervous, more so than he had done when he was on the receiving end of this treatment last night. He was terrified of hurting Cas.

“You’re praying.” Cas murmured. “Did you know you do that? You pray to me when you’re scared or worried or nervous, and I can hear it. You’re not going to hurt me Dean and I promise I’ll tell you if you do.” Fear flashed briefly through Dean as he realised all the things Cas must have heard over the years, but then he decided that Cas had heard it all and still wanted to be here, so it was OK. He used his freshly lubed finger to trace the ring of muscles as Cas whimpered again. That sound was so erotic, Dean thought he might come there and then, but he held off and carried on stroking and caressing Cas’ tight virgin hole. He pushed his finger in a few millimetres, listening carefully to the sounds Cas was making to make sure he was still OK. When there was nothing to suggest Cas was uncomfortable, Dean pushed in a little more, marvelling at the tightness and warmth of Cas’ body. He shivered at the thought of replacing his finger with his cock, imagining how the tight channel would feel... he shook his head slightly to refocus on the task literally in hand. Once his finger was fully enveloped inside Cas, Dean stole a glance up to the face of the man he loved. Cas’ eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open and he was panting lightly. Dean thought Cas had never looked as beautiful as he did in that moment. Keeping his eyes on Cas’ face, he worked his finger in and out slowly, watching the micro-expressions for guidance. He soon added a second finger, along with a generous dollop of lube because above all else he was terrified of hurting Cas. Cas had started making tiny little noises, each of which sent a bolt of electricity directly to Dean’s crotch. The realisation that he, a mere mortal man, was drawing those noises from a powerful Angel of the Lord was almost too much to bear. Adding a third finger, Dean built up a faster rhythm and took Cas’ cock back into his mouth. He found he enjoyed giving blowjobs. OK, so he wasn’t so keen on the ending, but the actual act of his mouth being full and feeling Cas’ involuntary hip thrusts pushing the cock deeper into his throat was incredibly erotic. Cas was pushing himself harder onto Dean’s fingers by now, chasing the orgasm which was just slightly out of his reach.

“Dean...” he whimpered, and Dean removed his fingers, wiping them clean on the bed sheets and making a mental note to do laundry once they got up. He moved onto his knees between Cas’ thighs and positioned himself so his cock was pushing slightly against Cas’ entrance.

“Open your eyes, baby.” Cas complied, slightly surprised at the term of endearment usually reserved for the true love of Dean’s life- a beautiful 1967 Chevy Impala. Dean tilted his head in a very Cas-like gesture as he silently asked for Cas’ go-ahead. Cas smiled and nodded, so Dean slowly pushed his way in. Cas tried to maintain eye contact but his eyelids didn’t want to listen and they closed in pleasure. He’d thought Dean’s fingers felt incredible inside him but this was a whole other feeling. “Cas, look at me” Dean’s deep voice brought Cas back to his senses, and he forced his eyes open. Blue met green and Dean brought his hand to Cas’ face to stroke his cheek as his pelvis touched Cas. Cas leaned into the touch and wiggled his hips slightly to show Dean it was OK to move. Dean took a shaky breath to centre himself, because the sensations were slightly overwhelming, and then he began to move. Every thrust brought a new sound from Cas but Dean could tell he was holding back.

“Let me hear you, angel. Let me hear what I’m doing to you, how I’m making you feel.” Dean’s voice was gravelly and soft all at the same time and Cas didn’t hold back his cries. “So... fucking... sexy.” Dean punctuated each word with a hard thrust, dragging more pornographic sounds from the man under him. He felt that tell-tale heat pooling in his stomach and he took hold of Cas’ length and pumped in time with his thrusts. Cas howled as he came hard and the clenching of his muscles squeezed Dean to his own release. Panting heavily, Dean leant down to kiss Cas’ forehead, then pressed their foreheads together. They stayed that way for a minute or two, until Dean’s softened cock slid out of Cas. Once again, Cas used his angel powers to clean them up and they curled into each other under the covers.

“Are you still mad, Dean?” Cas asked, peppering tiny kisses to Dean’s chest. Dean’s arms tightened around Cas.

“Why would I be mad? I’d have missed out on the best sex of my life if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids.” Cas laughed, relieved he understood the Scooby Doo reference, thanks to Metatron’s upload of pop culture. Dean put a finger under Cas’ chin and tilted his face up to kiss his lips. “Of course, they don’t need to know I’m not mad, do they?” he grinned wickedly and they kissed lazily for a while, with no passion behind it as they were both fully spent, but none the less full of love and promise.

“You called me “baby”.” Cas murmured a little while later. Dean smiled.

“I did.”

“But you call your car Baby.”

“I do.”

“Do you think of me in the same way you think of your car, Dean?” Dean roared with laughter and Cas joined him even though he wasn’t entirely sure what Dean found so funny. It was just so nice to hear him laugh so freely. Dean looked down at Cas. 

“Do you want me to not call you that?” Cas shook his head.

“I liked it.” He said, almost shyly. “I know how much the car means to you so to be compared to that is thrilling.”

“Baby is important to me and I love her. That car has been the only home Sam and I have known since we were tiny. But you, my funny, stubborn, clueless angel, are more important to me than that car. And the thoughts I have about you are definitely not the same thoughts I have for Baby. Definitely not the same thoughts.” 

“I should hope not!” Cas laughed. Cas thought back to that morning, when Dean had given him some clothes to wear. “Dean, I cannot continue wearing your clothes, but I also feel it would be inappropriate for me to continue to wear the same clothes I always wear.”

“Then we’ll go shopping.” Dean said, decisively. “I’ll get you whatever you want. Just name it.” Cas grinned at him. 

“Can we take a nap first?” he asked.

“Of course. But how about we really tire ourselves out first?” Dean winked and snaked his hand between them to grip both of their hardening lengths together. Cas let out a sharp cry in affirmation.


	9. Chapter 9

Later that afternoon, Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the local mall. He turned off the engine and stepped out of the car into the early afternoon sunshine. Cas joined him in front of the car, unsure of how to act around Dean in public. He knew how private a person Dean was and although he knew he was free to touch Dean as much as he wanted in the privacy of the bunker, outside was a different story.

“Ready?” asked Dean, holding out a hand to Cas. Cas took it gratefully with a smile, and the two men walked into the mall towards the menswear department. Dean’s phone rang as they walked through the door and he reached into his pocket with his free hand to retrieve it. He showed Cas the screen so he’d see Charlie’s name.

“Hey Charlie.” Dean tried to sound stern but with Cas standing beside him and grinning, he found it tough.

“Yeah, we’re good. I’m at the mall with Cas.” He paused to listen to Charlie. “Yeah, see you soon.” He ended the call and turned to Cas. They’re going to meet us here. Charlie says she needs to supervise our shopping trip. Something about not wanting you to end up looking like a lumberjack.” Cas laughed at Dean’s scowl. “Come on, they’re meeting us at the food court in ten minutes. If you’re good, I’ll buy you one of those sundaes you like so much.” 

When Sam and Charlie caught up with the lovebirds they were sitting in a booth in the corner of the ice cream parlour, feeding each other spoonfuls of ice-cream from their shared sundae. Charlie slid into the booth beside Cas and Sam beside Dean. Dean punched Sam’s arm hard.

“HEY!” 

“You deserved that.” Said Cas, shrugging. Sam rubbed his arm and gave Dean one of his patented bitchfaces. Dean looked at Charlie and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not sorry, Dean.” She looked him square in the eye. “Without my plan, you would still be stamping around the bunker like a bitch and Cas would still be God knows where. You should be thanking me.” Dean tried to stay stern, but burst out laughing. 

“I’ll buy you a damn sundae.” Charlie grinned.

“How come she gets a sundae and I get a dead arm?” grumbled Sam. 

“She’s cuter than you.” Cas and Charlie both laughed as Sam and Dean poked and prodded each other in a typical sibling fight. Once Sam caught Dean in a headlock, Charlie called time on their idiocy.

“OK, I’m going to take Cas shopping. You two... do whatever it is boys do at the mall. We’ll meet you back here in an hour.” Cas leaned over and kissed Dean quickly as Charlie pulled him away. Sam moved into Cas’ space and picked up his discarded spoon, scooping up the ice-cream.

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.” The brothers grinned at each other. “Bowling?”

“Hell yeah.”

Across the mall, Charlie gathered an armful of shirts, sweaters and pants for Cas while he trailed after her. Eventually she led him to the dressing room and handed him the pile of clothes. Cas closed the curtain behind him and Charlie took a seat in the opposite cubicle. She nodded or shook her head at every outfit Cas showed her, and soon she had a pile to purchase and a pile to discard. He stepped out of the room wearing a blue shirt that matched the colour of his eyes and a fitted pair of black pants. Charlie stood and opened the top two buttons on the shirt and stepped back to admire her handiwork.

“You scrub up good, angel-boy!” Cas blushed slightly. “Now you just need shoes and a jacket. How about we go there next?” Cas nodded and went back into the cubicle to change.

“Charlie?” he asked through the curtain. “Will you help me with something?”

“Of course! You’re Dean’s bae now, which means I’m practically your sister!” Charlie could practically see Cas’ look of confusion. “Bae means boyfriend, Cas.”

“Oh. Well, I would like to take Dean out on a date, but I do not know what he would like to do. I have seen humans dating for several millennia and I know fashions change.”  
Charlie squealed with delight.

“Oh Cas, you old romantic! We’ll plan the perfect date, and you have to wear that blue shirt. Dean won’t be able to take his eyes off you!” Cas emerged from the cubicle and collected the pile of clothes Charlie held out to him. As they left, she handed the smaller pile to the assistant with a smile, and steered Cas towards the shoe section, chatting away to him about her ideas for a date.

A little while later, the foursome met up outside the ice-cream parlour, Cas and Charlie laden with armfuls of bags. Charlie snagged the keys to Sam’s car from his pocket and told the brothers Cas was driving back with her and they were having some alone time for the rest of the afternoon. 

“Make sure you both dress up nice, we’re going out tonight. Meet you in the parking garage at 7pm.” Before either Winchester had a chance to object, they were gone, Cas shooting a helpless look over his shoulder. The brothers looked at each other in surprise. Dean checked his watch.

“4 hours. Time for another game? I bet I kick your ass again.” Sam shoved his older brother.

“You only won last time because you cheated!”

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

7pm came and the brothers were waiting in the garage. By 7.15pm Dean was pacing impatiently and Sam sent Charlie a text. Seconds later his phone beeped and he laughed as he read the message.

“Charlie says perfection takes time but you will be grateful to her in the end.” Dean huffed, and rubbed an imaginary spot on Baby’s hood. Sam had been let in on the date plan and had made sure Dean looked smart without telling him what was going on. Dean had grumbled when Sam vetoed his original outfit of jeans and a band t-shirt and had grudgingly worn the tailored pants from his FBI suit with a shirt Charlie had bought on their shopping trip. The wine red of the shirt suited his complexion and Charlie had paired it with a black skinny tie. He wore his leather jacket and had spiked his hair a little more than usual. Sam wore dark jeans with a charcoal grey shirt because he and Charlie were planning on hitting a bar. He had the number of the girl he’d met the previous night and was thinking of calling her, despite it being against Dean’s hook-up code. Not that Dean could criticise right now, he realised, being all loved up and all. The door opened and Charlie and Cas stepped through, arms linked. Charlie wore leather pants with a black satin crop top and had a diamond in her navel piercing. She’d gone dark with her make-up, with smoky eyes and purple lips and her red hair was tied up in an elegant chignon. She looked incredible, and Sam thought he’d be lucky to meet a girl like Charlie. He realised Dean had frozen next to him and looked at Cas. Charlie had styled Cas’ hair to perfection and he wore the outfit she’d chosen of the tailored black pants, blue shirt and a black blazer. His shirt was open at the collar, and he was clean shaven. Sam looked at Dean, who was staring with his mouth slightly open, and nudged him.

“You both look great!” he said brightly. “Don’t they Dean?” Dean swallowed hard.

“Uh... yeah. Yeah. You look great, Charlie. Very sexy. Cas, you...wow.” was all Dean could manage. Charlie giggled.

“Mission accomplished! Right, we’re off. Have a great night guys!” she bent close to Cas and whispered in his ear. Cas blushed scarlet and nodded. “Come on, Sam!” she called “The ladies won’t seduce themselves!” Sam and Charlie climbed into their car and drove off into the night. Dean and Cas stood motionless for a few seconds, before Dean cleared his throat.

“So I guess we’re not going with them then?” he asked Cas. Cas shook his head.

“No, Dean, we are going somewhere alone. Is that OK? Would you rather go with Sam and Charlie?” Cas was already worried he’d made a mistake. Dean quickly stepped closer to him and took his hand.

“Cas, I’ll go wherever you go, OK? But we need to go right now or I’m going to take you back inside and fuck you senseless.” Cas’ mouth dried and the thought was tempting, but he’d planned this night carefully with Charlie and didn’t want her work to go to waste. 

“Can I drive, Dean?” Dean’s eyes widened. Cas was asking to drive the Impala? He only ever let Sam drive, and that was when he was too hurt or exhausted to be safe.

“Do you know how to drive?” he asked.

“Well, it can’t be that hard, can it?” said Cas. “Millions of people can do it.” Dean laughed.

“That’s a no, then. I will teach you to drive, but not tonight and definitely not in Baby. You tell me where we’re going and I’ll drive us there.” Cas gave a small smile, and climbed into the passenger seat. They drove in silence, both oddly nervous. Cas gave Dean directions and they pulled up outside a tiny Greek restaurant and Dean smoothly slid the car into a space. 

“Is this the place?” he asked, and Cas nodded.

“I love Greece, it’s one of my favourite places to visit, and so I thought we could sample some traditional Greek food.” Dean took the hand Cas was holding out and gave it a squeeze.

“It sounds perfect, baby.” And Cas smiled at the endearment, remembering their previous conversation. They walked into the restaurant and Cas told the waitress his name. She led them to a small table, decorated with candles sparkling in silver glittered glasses. Cas held out a chair for Dean, who sat down awkwardly, unused to being treated that way. The waitress, a pretty blonde of about 18, produced a bottle of red wine and poured them each a glass.

“Your food will be out shortly, gentlemen.” She said, smiling at them both. “My name is Elizabeth, please call me if you need anything.” Dean looked confusedly at Cas.

“But we didn’t order anything yet.” 

“Charlie recommended this place, and one of their specials is something you have to order in advance. She called in a favour to get us a table and the special for tonight. She said something about you forgiving her properly if she fed you right?” Dean laughed softly. The redhead certainly knew him well, and he made a mental note to thank her properly for interfering when he saw her next. He took a sip of the wine and then felt suddenly awkward. Looking at Cas, he could tell the angel felt the same way. He reached across the table and took Cas’ hand.

“This is amazing, Cas. Thank you. No-one has ever done this for me before.” Cas looked surprised. 

“You’ve never been on a date?”

“I’ve been on dates, but never one that someone else has planned. It’s kinda traditional for the guy to do the planning and stuff so I’ve never had anyone plan something for me.”Cas smiled shyly.

“I want to make you happy, Dean.” He said, simply, and Dean’s heart swelled. He couldn’t honestly say anyone had ever wanted to make him happy before. At that moment, the waitress arrived at their table with their appetisers. She placed a selection of small bowls in front of them containing salad, olives, bread and a variety of delicious looking dishes Dean couldn’t identify. 

“Charlie said you’d probably share everything, is that OK?” she asked. Dean chuckled, shaking his head. That girl was going to get a tickling. 

“That’s fine, thank you Elizabeth.” Said Cas, smiling broadly at her. She walked away and Cas speared an olive on his fork, holding it out for Dean. Rather than lean across the table, Dean stood up and moved his chair around so he was next to Cas. He draped an arm around the angel’s shoulders.

“Much better.” He said, taking the olive. They spent the next ten minutes feeding each other samples of the dishes, and Dean discovered he really enjoyed halloumi cheese, likening the taste to bacon, while Cas found he was a fan of dolmades, grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs. Dean noticed a drop of oil on Cas’ chin and wiped it with his thumb. Cas grabbed his wrist and pulled Dean’s thumb into his mouth, licking the oil from the pad and running his tongue around the digit. Dean groaned quietly and adjusted his pants to accommodate the instant swelling. Cas released his hand and grinned wickedly.

“For an angel, you can be incredibly naughty.” Dean muttered quietly. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to get me to take you home right now.” Elizabeth broke the tension by arriving to clear their plates.

“Was everything OK for you both?” she asked. Both men nodded. “Can I get your more drinks?”

“Can I get some soda, and a beer for Dean please?” asked Cas. He’d noticed that Dean had barely touched his wine and deduced that he wasn’t a fan. Dean was surprised at Cas’ request and touched that he’d requested the beer without making a fuss. His mind went back to a previous date, when Lisa had bitched at him for ordering beer in a restaurant rather than drinking wine. As Elizabeth walked away, Dean turned Cas’ face towards him and kissed him gently on the lips.

“You’re incredible, do you know that?” Cas looked confused and tilted his head in the way Dean loved. They looked into each other’s eyes and Dean got lost in the beautiful blue in front of him. He was suddenly overwhelmed by how much Cas meant to him, and how much it meant that Cas had, with Charlie’s help, planned a date for them. He had to quickly look away to disguise the tears that threatened to well up in his eyes. He took a mouthful of wine to distract himself, just as Elizabeth returned with their drinks and a colleague following with their main meals. The plate of kleftiko, slow cooked lamb, smelled tantalising. As they did with the appetisers, the men fed each other lovingly and shared the food. Cas drank the rest of Dean’s wine as well as his own and Dean ordered another two beers before they finished their meal. Dean excused himself to go to the bathroom and checked his phone on the way there. He’d switched it to silent so as not to disturb their meal, and he was glad he had because he’d received several messages from Charlie and Sam. They started just asking if they were enjoying the food, and progressed to selfies of themselves taking shots and playing pool. Dean laughed to himself and sent a message back saying they were having a great time and thanking Charlie for the help she gave Cas. As he returned to the table, he noticed an older lady standing beside Cas, talking animatedly. Cas had on his adorably confused expression and Dean planned to rescue him but as he got closer he heard the woman was eagerly lecturing Cas on the evils of homosexuality according to the Bible. Dean felt shame wash over him as he realised he was the reason for Cas’ sinful behaviour but as he started to walk towards them to give the woman a piece of his mind, he felt Elizabeth’s hand on his arm.

“Let me.” She said, winking at him. Elizabeth marched over to their table and quietly spoke to the woman, who looked around in horror before collecting her coat and bag from her table, grabbing her husband’s arm, and disappearing out of the door. Dean reached the table just as Elizabeth was checking Cas was OK and clearing their empty plates.

“What did you say to her?” Dean asked, impressed that she’d dismissed the woman so easily. He still felt sick from the encounter, even though it hadn’t been aimed at him at all.

“Oh, I just told her if she had a problem with homosexuality, she’d picked the wrong restaurant, seeing as it’s owned by Marco and Phil, a married couple, and their waitress is more interested in women than men.” They all laughed and Dean realised why Charlie had recommended that particular restaurant for their first date- she knew they’d be comfortable and looked after if anyone had a problem with them. He suddenly realised how much more difficult life was going to be now he was in a same-sex relationship. He thanked Elizabeth with an awkward hug and sat back down. Elizabeth produced the bill from her apron and, ignoring Dean’s outstretched hand, handed it to Cas.

“My date, so I pay.” Cas said, pulling some notes from his wallet and putting them inside the bill. Dean felt equal parts uncomfortable at Cas taking charge, and a warm feeling of being loved and cared for. After checking sneakily that Cas had left a tip- he had, and a very generous one at that- Dean suddenly realised they’d had no dessert. He was about to say as much to Cas when he was pulled to his feet and helped into his jacket. With a wave goodbye to Elizabeth, and a promise to come back soon with Sam and Charlie, Dean let himself be led out of the restaurant and out to the Impala. They got in and Cas directed Dean to their next location, a small lakeside picnic area which was deserted in the evenings. They parked up and Cas told Dean to stay in the car and close his eyes. Dean complied, and heard Cas go to the trunk and pull something out, then walk away from the car. After a few minutes of silence, Dean was starting to get worried and uncomfortable, when Cas opened the driver’s door and told Dean he could open his eyes. Dean stepped out of the car and saw Cas had laid out a blanket on the ground and dessert was set up. Slices of apple pie with whipped cream, strawberries and a chocolate dipping sauce, plus beer and soda. They sat down on the blanket and Cas picked up a fat strawberry, holding it out to Dean. Dean bit into it, the juice dripping down his chin. He wiped it with the back of his hand and grinned at Cas.

“When did you do all this?!” he asked. Cas shrugged.

“Charlie and I stopped at the grocery store on the way home. I told her I wanted to watch the stars with you while eating our dessert and she cried. I am not entirely sure why.” Dean smiled and leaned in to kiss his angel.

“So this was all your idea?” Dean asked when they broke apart. Cas nodded.

“I hope it is satisfactory.” Dean kissed him again.

“It’s perfect, Cas. You’re perfect.” They fed each other the pie and strawberries, then lay down side by side to watch the stars.


	10. Chapter 10

Dean woke the following morning to the sound of a smoke alarm. He leapt out of bed, grabbed his gun and a knife from his nightstand, threw on a pair of sweatpants and ran down the corridor to the kitchen. Instead of the intruder he’d been expecting from years of a hunting lifestyle, he was greeted by a flustered looking angel standing in the middle of a smoke-filled room. Dean grabbed a broom and knocked the smoke alarm off the wall, cursing Sam’s safety conscious insistence on the devices as he did so. By the time the noise stopped, Sam and Charlie had arrived in the doorway, both looking as if they were still drunk from the previous night. Charlie’s hair was still clinging to the remains of the chignon but looking infinitely less elegant than the previous night, and Sam had lipstick on his cheek and a serious case of sex hair. The pair of them slumped into chairs as Dean figured out the source of the smoke- a few charred slices of toast- and disposed of them quickly. The whole time, Cas stood in the centre of the room looking tearful. Dean put his index finger under the angel’s chin and tilted his head up so they could make eye contact. His heart contracted at the wetness in Cas’ blue eyes and the slight wobble of his bottom lip.

“Hey” he said, softly, almost as whisper.”What’s up?” Cas took a shuddering deep breath. 

“I wanted to make you breakfast.” Dean kissed him softly.

“That’s very sweet. Have you ever cooked before?” Cas shook his head. Dean smiled. “I’ll teach you. How about we go to the diner for breakfast today and we’ll start with dinner tonight?” The corners of Cas’ mouth turned up slightly, and Dean took his hand and led him back to the bedroom to dress. As he walked past, he kicked the leg of Sam’s chair, jolting his brother awake. “OI! We’re leaving in ten minutes to go for breakfast. If you’re coming, be at the car by then. We’re not waiting.” With that, the couple went back to Dean’s room to dress.

Twenty minutes later, after being distracted by making out in between dressing, Dean and Cas got to the Impala, where Sam and Charlie were curled around each other, asleep in the backseat. Both had showered and put on clean clothes but were not looking any more awake than they had previously. Holding a finger to his lips and grinning wickedly at Cas, Dean got in the car, started the engine and turned up the volume on the stereo as loud as he could stand. Sam’s head hit the roof and Charlie squealed in horror while Cas and Dean fell about laughing. Sam slapped Dean across the back of the head as Cas turned the volume back down. 

“Not funny, dude.” Sam grumbled, settling back in his seat and adjusting his position when Charlie flopped her head on his shoulder. Dean snorted a laugh and winked at Cas as he moved the Impala out onto the road. Sam nudged Charlie as he realised Dean was letting Cas choose the music, going against his often insisted upon rule of the driver picking the music. Charlie smirked up at Sam and mouthed “True love” at him before laying her head back on his shoulder and closing her eyes. Sam leant his head on top of hers and let his eyes drift shut to the sound of his brother happily, and tunelessly, singing along to the radio. 

As they pulled in to the diner parking lot ten minutes later, Sam saw Dean take a deep breath after Cas got out of the car, as if he were preparing himself for something. Following his brother into the diner, it was only when Dean grinned broadly at their usual waitress, Shirley, that Sam realised what it was about. Shirley was in her sixties with platinum blonde hair which she wore in a beehive-like hairstyle, and she adored Dean. Dean loved the way Shirley mothered him and he always laid on the charm with her. Dean had walked behind Cas and Charlie on the way in, with Charlie gripping Cas’ arm and asking him how the date had gone. Sam understood that Dean was worried about Shirley’s reaction to his new relationship, although Sam knew he had no reason to worry. He was pretty sure Shirley already assumed Cas was Dean’s boyfriend, like most people who knew them did. Shirley pulled Dean into a hug and kissed him on the cheek in greeting. 

“Hello my darling boy, how lovely to see you! All of you!”

“Hey beautiful, looking sexy today” said Dean cheekily, returning the hug warmly. He had liked the bubbly, friendly woman from the first time they entered the diner, and never failed to flatter and charm her. She hugged all of them in turn, with Sam and Charlie returning the hug and Cas being his usual awkward self. Sam did notice the tenseness in Cas’ jaw that wasn’t usually there though.

“The usual table?” she asked, grabbing four menus, even though they always ordered the same thing every time they visited. Sam nodded and they followed Shirley to a booth near the back. Normally Dean and Charlie sat together on one side while Sam and Cas sat opposite but today Charlie slid in beside Sam, leaving space beside Dean for Cas. Charlie laid her head on Sam’s shoulder and closed her eyes as Shirley came back over with a coffee pot. Both Charlie and Sam groaned appreciatively as Shirley poured them a cup and she chuckled at their obvious hangovers. Shirley pulled out her order pad and swiftly wrote down their order- eggs Benedict for Cas and Charlie, with a side of bacon to share, fruit platter with Greek yogurt and an egg white omelet for Sam, and bacon, sausage and pancakes for Dean. If Shirley noticed the change in the usual seating arrangements, she didn’t say anything as she collected their menus and left to put in their order. 

“Good night then?” asked Dean, smirking at the discomfort his siblings were displaying. Charlie gulped her coffee, grimaced, and motioned for Dean to pass her the sugar.

“Tequila.” Sam grunted. “Tequila is bad.”

“We ended up at a party at a frat house. We were the oldest ones there but there were a lot of pretty girls, so...”Charlie grinned at the memory of a particular blonde. “How was your date?”

“It was great. Elizabeth says to say hi.” Charlie flushed slightly, and Dean made a mental note to find out exactly how well Charlie and Elizabeth knew each other. Sam caught Dean’s eye and was clearly thinking the same thing, and the brothers grinned slyly at each other. Shirley chose that moment to arrive with a tray holding several glasses of orange juice and a bottle of aspirin. She wordlessly handed the aspirin to Sam and placed the juice in front of all of them.

“I know y’all don’t get enough fruit so just humour me and drink it.” She responded to Dean’s bitchface. Sam and Charlie shuffled over and invited Shirley to sit down. With a quick glance around to make sure no-one needed her for a minute, she sat. “So who had a date?” she asked, clearly having heard the end of the conversation. Dean squirmed slightly and Cas looked terrified.

“Dean.” Said Charlie at the same moment Sam said;

“Cas.” The hunter and the angel looked at the two of them wide-eyed and Shirley took a moment to take in the situation, before grinning broadly as she figured it out.

“Well it’s about damn time you boys got your heads out of your rears! Honestly, I was starting to think you’d spend the rest of your lives being all starry-eyed over each other and never doing anything about it!” Dean looked shocked and Cas looked down at his hands in his lap, suddenly shy, while Sam and Charlie roared with laughter. A bell sounded from the kitchen to let Shirley know she was needed and she ruffled Cas’ hair affectionately as she passed him.

“Alright, it’s not that funny.” Grumbled Dean and Sam and Charlie clung to each other, still laughing. Cas was still peering at his hands intently and when Dean tried to place his own hand over them, Cas pulled away. Not far, but enough that Dean didn’t push it. He felt sick that Cas was feeling uncomfortable but didn’t know how to fix it. In his usual style, he kicked Sam under the table and glared murderously at the pair of them. Shirley appeared again with their food and she winked at Dean as she handed him his plate. She frowned when she realised Cas was still studying his hands and had moved a few inches away from Dean. Looking at Charlie, she raised an eyebrow and almost imperceptibly inclined her head towards Cas. Charlie got the message and nodded slightly as she elbowed Sam to give him the same cue. They ate in uncomfortable silence, Shirley dropping by a couple of times to refill their coffees, but the atmosphere had changed. As she finished her last mouthful, Charlie dropped her cutlery onto her plate, stood and held out her hand to Cas.

“Care to accompany me to the ladies’ room?” Cas looked confused but took her hand anyway and let himself be led away. Dean scowled after them but kept eating.

“Dude...” Sam began, but Dean cut him off with a death glare and shoving the final forkful of his pancakes in his mouth. Sam took a deep breath and took advantage of the fact Dean’s mouth was full. “What’s going on? Why is Cas acting weird? What did you do?” Dean looked angry and then hurt at that question. He swallowed and took a swig of his coffee.

“Why does everyone always assume I’ve done something?! I don’t know what’s going on with him. He was fine this morning and now he’s weird. He doesn’t want me to touch him and he’s clearly not happy sitting next to me.” He sighed sadly, all the anger draining from him suddenly. “I’ve probably done something to upset him, but I don’t know what it is so I can’t fix it.” He said, sadly. Sam felt guilty at assuming Dean had been to blame and tried to console him.

“Charlie will figure it out. Cas can never stay mad at you for long!” Dean huffed.

“That was before. Who knows what’s happening now? This is why you and Charlie should have left it alone. We all knew where we stood before. We all knew how to act. You had to go and ruin it.” Sam went to speak but saw Cas and Charlie heading back to their table arm in arm, with Cas looking a lot happier. They slid into the booth and Charlie smiled at Sam to let him know it was all okay. Cas leaned across and kissed Dean’s cheek.

“I’m sorry” he whispered in Dean’s ear. “Let me make it up to you.”

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Charlie led Cas through the door that led to the bathrooms and, with a quick check that no-one was around that might need it, pulled him into the disabled room. It was a larger space with one toilet and a basin, but it ensured they wouldn’t be disturbed.

“OK, angel,” she began, closing the lid of the toilet and sitting down. “Spill.” Cas looked at her, confused. “What’s causing you to look all mopey and sad?” Cas sighed heavily and leaned against the door.

“I don’t want to discuss it.” Charlie shook her head.

“Nice try, Buster. That’s not how this works. I may be an unofficial Winchester, but I’m not actually a Winchester, which means I don’t do moody silences and brooding. I do talking about stuff like a fricking grown up. So talk.” Cas stared at her in a way that usually made people uncomfortable and give in, but Charlie wasn’t having any of it, and held his gaze. Eventually, Cas broke their eye contact and admitted defeat.

“Dean didn’t want Shirley to know about us. He’s embarrassed by our relationship.” Charlie stifled a laugh at Cas’ words but her heart softened at the heartbroken look on Cas’ face.

“Oh Cas, you adorable dummy. The boy is crazy about you. Did he seem embarrassed to be with you last night?” Cas shook his head, still looking sad. “Of course he didn’t. So why do you think he’s embarrassed by you?” Cas shrugged. “Cas, he was scared to tell Shirley because he’s terrified she’ll think less of him.” Cas looked confused but didn’t speak so Charlie carried on. “His whole life, Dean has had an image to uphold. Tough, macho, ladies’ man. He works hard to keep up that image. You’ve seen how he is with women, Cas. But Shirley is like a mother figure to him and he’s never really had one of those before. She mothers him and cares about him and he’s terrified of letting her down. She’s from a generation where a lot of people don’t think being gay is OK. How do you think Dean would feel if Shirley suddenly didn’t want to know him because he’s in a relationship with a guy? It’d break his heart. But even then, he’d never give up what he has with you, you’re too important to him.” Charlie looked hopefully at Cas, silently willing him to understand. Slowly, Cas nodded his head.

“I think I see.” He said. “What do I do though?”

“Go back there and tell him you’re sorry. Tell him you love him and hold his hand. That’s all he wants. He might pretend to be a tough macho man, but Dean Winchester is a sucker for physical affection.” Cas chuckled, remembering all the times Dean had touched him over the years, and knowing that Charlie was right. 

“Thank you, Charlie. We’re lucky to have you.”

“Damn right you are, Buster.”

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“I’m sorry” he whispered in Dean’s ear. “Let me make it up to you.” Dean blushed a vivid scarlet and at that very moment Shirley arrived to take their plates away. Seeing Cas and Dean holding hands and Dean’s rosy cheeks, she grinned widely.

“I really am so very happy for you both. You deserve a bit of happiness after all you do for the world.” Shirley knew the details of their lifestyle, as they’d helped to rid her house of a particularly nasty spirit shortly after finding the bunker. “I was saying to Ted the other day” she motioned her head towards her husband in the kitchen “that we’d like to invite y’all to ours for our Fourth of July barbeque, if you’re free. We close the diner early that day and we always invite a mixture of friends and family, and some regulars from here.” Dean smiled at her weakly and nodded his agreement. The others also agreed and she smiled. “Good, that’s settled then. Just bring some beer and soft drinks if you’re picky, if not, everything else is sorted.” She placed their bill on the table in front of Sam, since it was usually him who paid. 

Five minutes later, they were making their way out of the diner, calling their goodbyes to Ted and the teenage dishwasher, Luke. As they got to the door, Shirley grabbed Dean’s arm and pulled him into a tight hug.

“That girl of yours told me you were scared to tell me about you and Cas. You daft fool. As if it would change how I feel about you. You’re like the sons I never had, and I love you dearly. Just make sure you tell me in plenty of time when the wedding is so I can get myself a nice new outfit.” Dean hugged her back tightly, not trusting himself to speak through the lump in his throat. Shirley planted a kiss on Dean’s cheek as she released him and he ran his hand over his face to catch the tears that threatened to fall. Shirley turned to Cas. “And you, young man. You’re one lucky son of a gun, you know that? Make each other happy, you hear? And come back here very soon so I can make sure you’re eating right.”  
As they left the diner, Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out the car keys. He tossed them to Sam, and held out his hand to Cas.

“Walk with me?” he asked. Cas took his hand and nodded, smiling broadly. “See you at home.” He called to Sam and Charlie, who both waved as they got in the car. Dean and Cas started walking towards the bunker, and Dean squeezed Cas’ hand. “Tell me about stuff. Tell me your favourite memories.” Cas squeezed back and began to talk.


End file.
